Do You Want To Talk About It
by Moogle Princess
Summary: Being a bartender, Tifa is used to being a friendly ear for people in need. One evening she is surprised to find that includes two dear friends. How far can she go to help them? Could it be that someone is looking out for her as well? Set post DoC.
1. Chapter 1

Yuffie could not stop staring at Vincent.

At first no one paid her any mind. Yuffie had a number of odd habits. Staring was nothing when compared with the way she felt it was entirely necessary to dance barefoot outside every time it rained. It was also not nearly as bad as her compulsion to steal things she deemed interesting if they were left unattended. She did her best to hide her fascination with Vincent, so at first no one realized she had been staring at him since his return.

It was Tifa who first noticed the way Yuffie grew quiet and distracted whenever Vincent entered a room. Like so many other days, she was tidying up the bar while Yuffie sat on an empty stool across from her. Tifa had been in the middle of a story about Denzel when she noticed her captive audience was captivated by something else.

"So... Denzel suddenly asked me where babies came from." Tifa said, careful to keep her voice even. She watched Yuffie closely for a reaction, "And I told him... in vivid detail. I even grabbed Cloud so we could illustrate a few things."

Yuffie only nodded, "Hn."

"Of course, that was before the chocobo got involved..."

Yuffie nodded mindlessly. Her eyes were focused, but her expression was thoughtful. There was a slight pink blush in her cheeks. Tifa realized that Yuffie's attention was directed over her shoulder at a mirror behind the bar.

Casually glancing back over her shoulder, Tifa saw the reflection of Vincent sitting alone in a booth. He was nursing the drink she had made him when he walked in half an hour before. Tifa looked back at Yuffie. She had not even noticed that Tifa was no longer talking, her gaze intent on the dark man.

"Yuffie!" Tifa exclaimed quietly.

Yuffie blinked rapidly, doing her best to give the impression that she was paying attention all along, "I was listening! Denzel asked you a question about baby chocobos. You grabbed Cloud to illustrate the feathers."

When Tifa only arched an eyebrow, Yuffie said in a small voice, "No?"

"So... you and Vincent..?"

Yuffie sat bolt upright, eyes wide and panicked, "What? No. Me and Vincent... uh... what?"

Tifa grinned wickedly, "I suppose he is stare-worthy."

"Who's staring?" Yuffie asked, giving Tifa her best wide-eyed, innocent look.

Under Tifa's knowing look, Yuffie withered, "I don't mean to stare, you know."

"It's kinda sweet." Tifa assured her, "How long now?"

"'How long now' what?" Yuffie asked, her eyes flicking back over to Vincent's reflection.

"How long have you liked Vincent?" Tifa asked, chuckling.

Yuffie looked at Tifa as if she had completely lost her mind, "I don't like Vincent. Well... I mean, I like Vincent, just not the way you mean."

Tifa snorted and started drying a glass with a nearby towel, "Yeah, you're just staring at him because he's pretty."

"You say the dumbest things sometimes." Yuffie teased. She leaned down and rested her head on top of her folded arms, doing her best not to look at Tifa or Vincent, "I'm staring at him because he saved my life. Don't get me wrong, we all save each other all the time. This was different.

"I used to think that living in Wutai with Godo was hell... then, Nero pulled me into the darkness. Vincent said I was only there for a second, but it felt way longer than that." The expression on Yuffie's face was bleak as she remembered, "It was cold and empty everywhere. For the first time in my life, I knew what being alone was. It was like the world and everything in it had died and I was all that was left. I actually remember losing all hope of being rescued. I was sure that I had died."

"Yuffie..."

Yuffie blinked rapidly a few times and smiled up a Tifa, "Sorry. It's still hard to remember sometimes. Suddenly, Vincent was there and he had me. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled us back. I was so shocked that I couldn't say anything!

"Then he was gone, you know?" Yuffie peeked over to where Vincent was sitting, "None of us could find him... and his charm was all melted in the wreckage. Finally, Shelke found him, but for a while, we thought he was a goner."

"I remember." Tifa patted Yuffie's hand gently. Yuffie had searched harder than any of them to find Vincent. She had spent weeks on the hunt around the world using one of the gold chocobos that she had helped Cloud breed.

Yuffie's eyes met Tifa's, looking a little panicked, "So now that he's back, I don't know what to say to him. Every time I try to talk to him, I get tongue-tied. I mean, how do you thank some one for something so huge? 'Gosh, I'm glad you're not all dead! By the way, remember that horrible, sucking evil you jumped into to save my life? Thanks for that Vin-Vin!'"

Vincent leaned on the counter beside her, "You are welcome. Tifa?"

Tifa snagged Vincent's glass, hiding a grin as she turned away. She had been facing him and had not even noticed that he was moving toward them. She heard Yuffie's explosive growl and the shifting of fabric and metal as he moved out of her attack range.

"Vincent! You weren't supposed to hear that." Yuffie whined, "Ask Tifa, I was eloquent and stuff."

"'Eloquent'?" Vincent murmured, amusement in his tone.

Tifa looked up into the mirror in surprise. Vincent's voice rarely ever showed any inflection. There was something warm and unfamiliar in his eyes when he looked at Yuffie. There was even the slightest hint of a smile on his lips. He was teasing her! By the way she was carrying on, Tifa could tell that Yuffie did not see it.

Yuffie was wagging her finger at Vincent, "Are you calling me stupid, Vincent? Psh. I don't have to take this from you, tall, dark and strangely silent!"

Her voice was childish and without heat. There was laughter in her expression, "I'll go see Reeve. I'm sure he'll appreciate my brains."

"He will appreciate them so much that he will immediately send them away." Vincent replied blandly.

Yuffie launched herself off her barstool toward the door. With a rude gesture at Vincent, she rushed from the bar.

When Tifa turned back and handed Vincent his drink, his expression was carefully blank and his posture was stiff. He had not realized that Tifa was watching his exchange with Yuffie through the mirror. Tifa could not help but grin at him, "So..."

Vincent arched his eyebrow in an unspoken answer to her words. Tifa laughed, "How long have you liked Yuffie?"

Vincent sipped from the drink she had just handed him. For a moment, she thought he would disregard her question completely. Finally he sighed and set his glass back on the bar, "I realized it the moment she vanished into the darkness."

Tifa could not help but squeal, "Vincent!"

When he would have retreated, Tifa put a hand on his gauntlet, "Will you stay and talk if I promise no to giggle at you like an emotional girl?"

Vincent gave her a thin smile and took the stool Yuffie had left. Tifa beamed at him, "I think it's kinda sweet. I can't say it makes a lot of sense, but I guess it doesn't have to."

"During the past month, I... learned many things I did not know about Lucrecia." Vincent said softly, "Most were unpleasant things."

Tifa patted his gauntlet in a manner she hoped he would find comforting, "Oh Vincent..."

Vincent waved her sympathy off with his free hand, "That is of little relevance. It allowed me to make my peace with it and with her."

Tifa frowned slightly. Yuffie had described Lucrecia after the fighting was done. There were some stark differences in look and personality between Yuffie and Lucrecia, "So... Yuffie?"

Vincent smirked, "I thought it did not have to make sense?"

Tifa laughed, "You can't blame a nosy girl for trying. So when are you going to tell her?"

Vincent's smirk faded and he said nothing. When he reached for his drink, Tifa put her hand down on top of his to stop him, "Oh no you don't. No retreating into the bottom of that glass. You're not going to tell her how you feel?"

"No. I'm not."

Tifa made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat and pulled her hand away from his. As she turned her back to him, she heard him say quietly, "You think I am making the wrong decision?"

"You know Vincent... you, Yuffie, me, all of us... we were heroes." Tifa turned back with a bark of harsh laughter, "I feel ridiculous just saying that out loud. Still... it's true. Of everyone on this cursed planet, we've got the most right to be happy. Have you noticed that most of us aren't?"

Vincent nodded slowly, hand twisting his glass back and forth. He did not meet her eyes and said nothing.

"Most of us aren't really happy unless we're fighting. Red XIII, Cid, they found something else to make them happy! Red has the Canyon and the people who live there. Cid has Shera and his airships. They'll always come out if we need them, but they're not happy with the fight anymore." Tifa frowned down at the bartop, "Not like we are."

There was a long moment of silence between them. The truth was uncomfortable for both of them. Finally Tifa sighed heavily, "The worst part is that it will keep on going like this until we find something or someone to be our new happiness."

Vincent still did not say anything. He would not look up from his glass. Tifa walked back to where Vincent was sitting and leaned down until she could see his eyes. She arched her eyebrows at him and he gave her a twisted little smile. They both knew that after everything they had gone through together, hiding from something like this was silly. He sat up straighter and met her kind gaze.

"If Yuffie makes you happy, why not go for it? Maybe... you can be her happiness too."

Vincent remained quiet for a long moment. Suddenly, he picked up his glass and finished his drink in one swallow, "I believe that I will head to the WRO building and see if Reeve requires my assistance with anything."

He turned and walked toward the door, his heavy shoes making almost no sound on the wood floor. As he reached the door, he paused. Without looking back he murmured, "Thank you, Tifa."

"What are friends for?" Tifa asked, smiling widely at his back. She did not care if he was not looking to see it.

He made a low rumbling noise that Tifa belatedly realized was laughter. Tifa wondered when he had laughed last. When she was sure he was gone, Tifa grabbed the phone and punched in Reeve's number.

After two rings, Reeve picked up, "Reeve Tuesti, how can I-"

"Reeve, it's Tifa." Tifa cut him off. She knew he would be able to hear the wicked grin in her voice, "I need a favor and it's time sensitive."

"What can I do for you, my friend?" Reeve asked cheerfully.

"Yuffie is on her way to your office to see if you have work for her. Vincent should be less than ten minutes behind her." Tifa giggled, "Put them on a job together. Any job."

She could hear the amassment in his voice, "Why?"

"Because if that doesn't finally kick Vincent in the ass, I might just do it myself." Tifa said, waving at Cloud as he came into the bar, "He needs to talk to her, Reeve."

She heard Reeve shuffling papers on his desk, "I see. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I will put my best on it right away."

Tifa could hear the meaning in his voice when he said, "I will be in touch soon."

As the phone moved away from his mouth, Tifa heard Reeve say, "As always, you have the best timing, Yuffie."

Cloud sat down at the bar, eyeing her curiously, "Who was that, Tifa?"

Tifa filled a mug with Cloud's favorite beer and handed it to him, "No one. How did the delivery go?"

She listed as Cloud gave her the details of his latest trip to Costa del Sol, wishing for a moment that she were as brave as she was forcing Vincent to be. She wanted so badly to be happy too. 


	2. Chapter 2

Upped the rating to T for the strong future potential of naughty language and the brief suggestion of adult themes in this chapter that may or may not become a regular thing. Consider yourself warned and find a longer author's note at the end if you're interested.

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><p>Yuffie hacked viciously at a low lying tree branch, "This sucks."<p>

Vincent did not reply, even if he silently agreed with her. Reeve had sent them to Mideel to track some Deepground soldiers that had been spotted in the area. At first, Vincent had thought nothing of it. Reeve often enjoyed games and pranks, but he was not one to usually play around with the safety of the people he wanted to help. After three days without any proof of what was reported, Vincent had contacted Reeve to follow up.

"Hmm... I don't know. My sources seemed fairly certain something was going on. Until the truth is revealed, I want you in the area. I'm sure you could find something to talk about with Yuffie while you wait."

His orders seemed normal enough, but Vincent was able to read between the lines when someone was trying to hide something. Reeve did not even bother to be subtle. Somehow, Reeve knew what he had told Tifa in the bar. Until he told Yuffie the truth, they would be forced to stay in Mideel chasing imaginary soldiers.

Outwardly, Vincent had maintained his calm, but inside he was seething. The feelings were his and the choices he made about those feelings should equally be his. Neither Reeve nor Tifa had any right to make that decision for him. It made him want to be stubborn and refuse to say a word. He was sure he could outmaneuver Reeve in a waiting game. If it would not have inconvenienced Yuffie, he would have waited weeks just to spite the meddling pair.

"I have a theory." Yuffie said suddenly. She glanced over her shoulder at Vincent, "Wanna hear my theory?"

Vincent did not respond. He knew she would be able to pick up on the traces of anger and frustration that would inevitably be in his tone. She would then dig until she knew the source of his unease, putting him exactly where he did not want to be. Yuffie usually put her own interpretation on his silences if he let her. He was not disappointed this time, "Of course you do. There's nothing here... and that's my theory! This isn't a real mission. In fact, if I'm wrong... which I'm not because this is the most bogus trip ever... but if I am, I'll eat my favorite old sneakers!"

When he only responded with a blank stare, she said, "The orange ones I wore while we chased Sephiroth? Remember? They were awesome and drove my dad up the wall for some reason. They were just never the same after we went down into the crater though, so I retired them. If we find Deepground soldiers here, I will unretire them and turn them into a tasty snack."

Vincent chuckled quietly, "I was just thinking similar thoughts."

Yuffie turned, eyes going wide, "You were thinking about my old shoes? Weeeeirdo."

He opened his mouth to correct her with a short scathing comment, but when he caught the teasing glint in her eyes he gave her a tiny smile instead, "I find I cannot help but be a 'weirdo' around you. Still, it brought me to a similar line of thought. There is something false about all of this."

"I just don't get why Reeve's picking on me!" Yuffie cried. They had come to a clearing in the trees and Yuffie thrust the machete she had been using into the ground, point first, "I mean, I've been trying to be better, you know? More professional. I'm not a kid anymore and I should start acting like it, but I know I didn't do anything to deserve this!"

"Perhaps it is my fault." Vincent murmured. He waited for Yuffie to turn and ask him what he meant, but she only laughed and pulled her pack off her shoulders.

"Yeah right... you never do anything wrong. You're the best operative Reeve could ask for!" Yuffie pulled a couple of candy bars out of her pack, "Want one?"

Vincent shook his head and Yuffie dropped one of the chocolate bars back into her bag. She sat down on a nearby fallen log and set the pack beside it, "I've still got more theory. This is Tifa's fault!"

It was a strange thing to hear his own thoughts in her voice. He crossed his arms across his chest and waited for Yuffie to elaborate. She did without his asking, "She thought I was seriously mad at you at the bar. Tifa has no sense of humor... or adventure anymore for that matter, but that's beside the point! She probably waited for you to finish your drink and leave and then immediately called Reeve."

She dropped her voice into a mocking rendition of Tifa's, "Oh Reeve! If I don't meddle at least twice a day in someone's life my boobs will explode and take out an entire city block! Vincent and Yuffie had a fight, so if you put them on a mission to work out their unresolved differences they'll be friends again and I'll get both my meddles in for the day! The girls and the city will be safe until tomorrow. Luckily, Cloud is here for a while, so I'll get all the meddling I need while Yuffie and Vincent are gone."

Vincent snorted in amusement making Yuffie jump up, "Wait a second... did you just laugh? Did I actually make you laugh!?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Vincent said, forcing his voice into a neutral tone.

"Nice try, mister." Yuffie grinned and came to stand in front of him. She poked him hard in the chest, "Don't deny me my victory."

With a long suffering sigh, Vincent admitted his guilt, "Very well, but you cannot tell a soul."

"Wouldn't want your image to be tarnished." Yuffie agreed, popping a small piece of chocolate into her mouth, "Smiling, laughing, talking more than you absolutely have to... if word got out, Cid would have you singing karaoke with him some night at the bar."

The thought made Vincent noticeably shudder, which set Yuffie off into a round of giggles. When she regained control of herself, she said, "For what it's worth, I'm glad that you're coming around after all this time. We like having you around, Vince. I get the tragic past thing- who in our group doesn't have one- but there's also a bright, shiny future to look forward to."

Vincent was not sure what to say. He could recall the day they first fought Sephiroth, when Cloud had remarked on how he had seemed cold and uncaring. He had never intended to behave that way, but after thirty years with only his mind for company, he had forgotten how to interact with people. He had done nothing to change that, but just being with his teammates had started to thaw him. If Yuffie viewed it as a positive thing, then he was glad for it.

"So, about what happened at the bar." Yuffie continued. She fidgeted awkwardly with the chocolate bar for a moment before shoving it into her pocket, "I was explaining to Tifa why I kept staring at you after you got back. I didn't mean to, you know... I just didn't know how to thank you for what you had done."

"Yuffie-"

"Upbupbup!" Yuffie interrupted him, "Let me finish, or I'll never get it out! You didn't just save my life, Vincent, you saved me from a fate worse than death. I'm pretty sure that Nero's darkness was one of those things that's worse than dying... right up there with what Hojo did to you and Cloud and hell, even Sephiroth!"

She reached out and grabbed his hands, "I owe you more than I could possibly repay."

Vincent's eyes softened as he looked at her. She was no longer a girl, stealing materia in a misguided attempt to save her homeland. Her face was so honest and open. He wanted to tell her everything, "I could not imagine a world without you."

A blush stole over her cheeks and she looked away shyly. She quickly forced her eyes back up to meet him, as if she had just realized something. Her expression changed from soft and feminine to calculating. Suddenly, Yuffie lunged at him, pushing him onto his back. She pressed herself against him, face only inches from his. He could practically taste the chocolate on her lips, they were so close. His eyes widened as they met hers. When her hips moved against his, his brain nearly shut down.

Just as quickly as it began, Yuffie was off him and running. He saw her swipe her oversized shuriken off the top of her bag as she chased a dark figure into the trees. A Deepground soldier.

As he climbed to his feet, Vincent heard Yuffie's cry of triumph. His keen eyes spotted a bullet hole in a tree in front of him. He had been so preoccupied with Yuffie that he had missed the threat. He could not even remember hearing the sound of a gun firing. He pulled out his cellphone and dialed Reeve's number.

"This is Reeve."

"Vincent."

"Good to hear from you! How's the mission?"

Vincent smirked as Yuffie prodded the enemy into the clearing with the point of her shuriken. She had tied his feet and hands with some thin cord he knew she kept in her pocket, "Completed. We have located and neutralized the Deepground operative."

Yuffie tapped the captive on top of the shoulder so he would kneel at Vincent's feet. With a grin, she snatched Vincent's phone, "I even left him his tongue this time so you could question him."

It was a ploy to unsettle the captive and from the brief flash of fear Vincent had seen, it was working well. The man was nowhere near the Tsviets in regards to skill or training. If he had any secrets, he would give them up quickly. Yuffie gave Vincent a sly smile, "Why do you sound so surprised boss? "

He could hear Reeve quickly attempt to cover up his involvement in this charade. Vincent was certain that finding the Soldier had been a happy accident. If he was being honest, it was lucky they were in the area. Any remnants of Deepground in the area that were trying to regroup would need to be taken care of. It did not make their set up and his almost confession any easier to deal with.

"Just get an extraction team down here pronto!" Yuffie said, scowling at the phone, "After three days here, I want a shower and a real meal."

Vincent used the materia in his arm guard to cast sleep on the soldier. The man immediately slumped to the ground. Yuffie closed his phone and tossed it to him, "Our fearless leader is thrilled. He said there was hidden, unfinished reactor near Mideel and that he had suspected Deepground of trying to 're-purpose it for nefarious deeds.' Who talks like that? Oh well, maybe we were being a little paranoid."

"It would appear so."

In some ways, Vincent was relieved. Yuffie was willing to accept Reeve's explanation of events and seemed to forget the train of thought they had been exploring. What had seemed right a few minutes before now seemed rushed and unnecessary. Some part of him knew he was being a coward, but there were too many reason that he should never speak of his feelings to Yuffie. It would be better that way.

When he finished putting his cell phone back into its holder on his belt, he realized that Yuffie was watching him thoughtfully.

"Y'know Vince, under all that cloth and leather you're kinda studly." She grinned up at him, closing the distance between them again. Her fingers walked up his chest playfully, "I didn't expect you to be so solid when I hit you."

Vincent eyebrows arched in surprise. Yuffie had never suggested any interest in him before. Suddenly, all the rational reasons for not pursuing her seemed unimportant... at least until she began to laugh at him.

"Laughing and blushing in one day? I almost don't believe it!" She danced away from him to pick up her supplies.

He realized his cheeks did feel flushed. Vincent scowled and resettled his cloak collar over his face. He could not believe she had noticed so many details about him. Her comments were so casual that he found himself having a hard time believing the sincerity of them. She was merely teasing him and having a laugh at his expense. His emotions bounced back and forth in a way that they had not in almost forty years. It was humiliating.

"Come on, Stud Muffin." Yuffie gestured to the soldier at his feet, "Since you're more muscly than I realized, you can cart his sleeping butt back to the extraction point."

When he looked into her smug, teasing face, an idea came upon him. Two could play at her game. He began to undo the buckles of his cloak. Yuffie's eyes went wide, "W-What are you doing!?"

"Removing my cloak." Vincent said plainly, "It will be easier to transport him without it."

Yuffie's mouth dropped open. Calmly, Vincent folded the tattered red cloth and held it out to her, "Would you mind?"

She accepted the bundle as if it were something sacred. Her expression was a little awed as she turned her eyes back to him. He gave her a small smile, "Shall we?"

"Oh! Uh... right." A nervous giggle bubbled out of her, "Sorry, Vincent. I just don't think I've ever seen you without it!"

"I suppose it really isn't practical anymore. Perhaps I'll stop wearing it." Vincent reached down and lifted their sleeping captive over his shoulder, "Where are we being extracted?"

Yuffie was looking down at his cloak again, "Back where we were dropped off."

Vincent started to walk in the direction she had indicated. He was glad she was following him, unable to see his face. He could not hide the smug smirk on his lips. He had managed to unsettle her just as much as she had unsettled him. She stared at him as if he had stripped off much more than his cloak. Perhaps he was not alone in his feelings after all. Could it be she thought of him as more than a teammate and coworker?

"Our battlefield is now beneath the earth..."

Vincent spun around, but Yuffie was nowhere to be seen. When she wanted to be, she was exceptionally fast.

"The gate to tomorrow is not the light of heaven," Vincent turned back around to see Yuffie standing in the path ahead of him, his cloak wrapped around her tiny frame, "...but the darkness of the depths of the earth."

The cloak looked ridiculous on her. The collar slipped drunkenly off of one side of her shoulder and the bulk of the fabric pooled on the ground at her feet. She did her best to strike a stoic pose as she quoted him word for word from the day they had battled Sephiroth.

Perhaps she thought of him as nothing more than a joke.

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><p>AN: At long last, our story can continue.

This has been an interesting experience for me. I wrote the original story as a one shot that I had never intended to continue. It got such positive reviews that I wondered if there was more to be written. I immediately sat down to come up with the next part and instead found myself banging my head against a brick wall. No matter what I tried, I could not find a way to continue the story in a way I liked. It has taken me this long to realize that I was reaching too far. I jumped to what will be the end of this story and tried to make that part two. I see now that there needs to be more of a journey.

I'm going to up the rating for now because I'm not quite sure where I'm going to take this from here. I imagine there will be some sections that won't be appropriate for the kiddies. Nothing graphic, but some suggestive bits. Better to be safe at this point.

Don't worry, Tifa's not quite off the hook yet. While personally I don't find the Cloti pairing appealing, you can't deny that it's there. I feel like they tend to bring out the worst in each other, but I think there may be other aspects worth exploring. I look forward to the challenge and I hope you'll bear with me while I poke around their relationship. I can't say where they'll end up, but considering this story was not ever supposed to have a second chapter I think you'll enjoy the ride.


	3. Chapter 3

I have been agonizing over this chapter, and finally I decided to just post it and see what happens. All I ask is that the folks who were pleased by the hint of CloTi in the first chapter, stick with it through to the end. I'm not completely abandoning the concept, I promise.

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><p>The wait was killing Tifa.<p>

She had been in more fights than she cared to consider. At one point, she had fallen into the Lifestream for an undetermined amount of time. It seemed as if her life was constantly in some peril or another. Yet, nothing could compare with the agony she was experiencing as she wiped down glass after glass.

Cloud had left again after only one night in the bar. When Tifa had awoken the next morning, she could see that his bed had already been made. He left a note on the counter in the bar, telling her that he had an emergency delivery to make. He promised to bring several bottles of a special rum that was only made in Cosmo Canyon back as an apology for such a short stop.

Marlene and Denzel had been disappointed to find Cloud had left without a goodbye, but they understood that he was needed elsewhere. They were busy with their own work now and it helped them to understand how he felt about his. After seeing how easily the remnants were able to corrupt the children of Edge, Reeve had set the WRO's brightest minds to creating a school for children under the age of fifteen. Deepground's emergence set things back some, but finally Reeve had declared the school open and let the teachers begin their work. Marlene was thrilled and threw herself into learning all she could. Her enthusiasm was infectious and Denzel was soon working just as hard to keep up with her. Even Shelke, despite being nearly twenty, went to see what she could learn. She reasoned that no one would know she was too old to be there unless she told them.

With Cloud and the children gone, the silence was heavy. She let the radio play to keep herself company, but it did not really help. After the attack on Edge by Sephiroth and the remnants and the Battle of Midgar with Deepground, Seventh Heaven had more business at night than Tifa could handle. Nothing like reminding your neighbors that the local bar owner and her friends were the same people who helped to keep the world spinning on a regular basis to boost sales. Nothing could keep the bar busy in the day. Most people were too busy now to spend their days drunk in a bar. Usually only Vincent and Yuffie were around to keep her from screaming with boredom Knowing they were gone together, possibly admitting how they felt about one another, made being alone all the worse. They had been gone for three days with no word. She was dying to know what had happened.

The bell over the door let out a merry little jingle as Reeve Tuesti stepped into the building. When he spotted her behind the bar, his face lit up in a smile, "Tifa! I had hoped to find you here."

"Where else would I be?"

Tifa came around the bar and let Reeve wrap her in a hug. Despite not being a front line fighter like the other members of Avalanche, Reeve was quite strong. He gave her an extra squeeze, nearly lifting her off her feet before he let her step away.

"It feels like we haven't spoken in ages."

With a grin, Tifa reminded him, "We talked not four days ago!"

Reeve rolled his eyes, "I mean beside that. The only time we ever get the chance to chat is when the world is in danger."

"The world seems to finally be getting used to peace." Tifa said, gesturing to the bar around her.

Unfortunately, there's no rest for those of us who were formerly wicked." Reeve let out a forlorn sigh. His mischievous brown eyes betrayed his true happiness. Glancing around, as if checking for someone listening in, Reeve said, "Speaking of being wicked, do you have any other plots you wish to hatch?"

"That wasn't wicked!" Tifa laughed, wagging a finger at him, "We were working in the name of true love, obviously."

Reeve caught her hand in his, "Fine then, we were doing noble work. I must confess, though, I had hoped to hear from you again after you explained your scheme to me. There must be more to the story!"

Tifa looked down at their joined hands and felt herself blush. His thumb was rubbing a gentle circle over her knuckles. His smile was as friendly as it had ever been, but there was something unfamiliar in his eyes. It only took her a moment to realize what it was. Tifa pulled her hand from his, her voice sharp with surprise, "You're flirting with me!"

Reeve's eyebrows arched up in surprise at the note of anger in her voice, "I was. Now that I know you find it distasteful, I won't do it again. I promise."

"Oh Reeve... I'm sorry." Tifa felt the blush burn brighter on her cheeks, "I didn't mean it like that. It's just that... well..."

As her voice trailed off into awkward silence, she could see his lips tighten. She was not sure what to say. Everyone knew how she felt about Cloud. She could not remember the last time anyone had seriously made a pass at her. Before she could think of some way to fill the silence, he sighed and walked over to a stool to sit. Tifa scuffed a boot across the floor nervously, she had not meant to come off as harshly as she had.

"Just where is Cloud?" Reeve asked, his voice not showing the emotions she had read in his face.

Tifa went back to the bar and poured some rum in a glass. A quick spell froze some lime juice into a ball the size and color of a materia and she tossed it in with a couple of mint leaves. It was one of the bar's specials and she knew Reeve was fond of it, "He had an emergency delivery the day after he got back somewhere out by Cosmo Canyon."

Reeve made a noise of acknowledgement in the back of his throat and swirled the drink around in the glass, waiting for some of the lime juice to melt. Tifa tried to change the subject, "Speaking of wayward friends, just where did you send Yuffie and Vincent?"

"Mideel." Reeve chuckled, "I told them that Deepground soldiers had been spotted in the area."

Tifa met Reeve's eyes with a raised eyebrow. Reeve shook his head at her unvoiced question, "It was a lie. There's nothing in Mideel except a lovely little town and a pool of the Lifestream. Vincent contacted me this morning to follow up and I told him that until the truth was revealed he and Yuffie would be stuck there. He's a bright lad, it won't take more than an extra day or two of surveillance for him to cooperate."

"That's evil."

It was Reeve's turn to raise an eyebrow at Tifa. She laughed, "You're not evil. You're about as wicked as a stuffed moogle."

"You're right, I suppose." Reeve let out a theatrical, weary sigh, "Well, then, tell me what it was that you noticed in Vincent that the rest of us had missed. I work closely with the man nearly every day and until that day I had not seen a thing to suggest he had feelings for our dear little White Rose."

"Yuffie was baring her soul to me. She had been acting oddly around Vincent since the battle with Deepground. Vincent had rescued her in a way that she felt went above and beyond saving her life and she didn't know what to say to him." Tifa hid a giggle behind her hand, "Vincent happened to overhear her. Reeve, he TEASED her! I snuck a peek at them in the mirror and the look in his eyes... well... it was plain how he felt."

Reeve let out a whistle and sipped his drink. He hummed in appreciation of the taste and smiled his thanks to her, "And then you used your feminine charms to drag a confession from him?"

Tifa laughed outright, "I don't think it was my feminine charms he was after. Thankfully, Vincent isn't one to dodge a direct attack. I called him out on his feelings and he admitted them freely enough. One little peptalk later and he was chasing Yuffie straight to your office."

Reeve stared at her, open mouthed in shock, "What did you say to him?"

A blush stole over her cheeks again, "It's not important. Just that he should find himself some happiness... we all should, really."

It was quick, but Tifa noticed Reeve's lips tug down in a frown. He tried to hide it by taking another drink from his glass. She could not understand what had caused this sudden boldness in Reeve. He had never hinted that there might be anything between them besides simple friendship. She had considered herself taken for so long that his attention flustered her. She picked up a towel and went back to cleaning glasses again, glad for any distraction.

"Are you happy, Tifa?"

Her hand jerked and the glass nearly dropped from her fingers, "What?"

"You just said, 'we all should' and to my ears, that includes yourself." Reeve replied, voice and expression bland, "Aren't you happy?"

Tifa set the glass down with a little too much force. Cracks spiderwebbed from the base. Sometimes she forgot her own strength, "No, my life isn't perfect, but I've got a good thing going here. It's getting better every day that something crazy doesn't happen. I'm not Yuffie or Vincent, with obvious love staring them in the face, but that's okay. I'll help them while I wait for mine. What do you want from me?"

Rather than backing off, Reeve finished his drink and then climbed to his feet. Normally, the bar felt like more than enough barrier between her and her patrons, but for some reason it seemed as if there was nothing between them at all. Tifa started to edge back, but Reeve's voice stopped her.

"Come now, Tifa, I don't bite... hard." His voice turned thoughtful, at odds with the predatory look on his face, "Unless you find that sort of thing appealing, of course."

Tifa blinked rapidly, unsure of what to say. Reeve's expression turned mocking, "Oh... right... the flirting again. You really must forgive me."

"Why are you picking on me?" Tifa demanded, slamming her hands against the bar top. She was not going to let him shake her up so badly without fighting back.

"It makes me ill to watch you pine after all these years." Reeve said with a heavy sigh. He leaned away slightly and Tifa felt like she could breath again, "You set up a home, recruited a family and hunkered down to wait for Cloud to step in and play husband and father. He's not ready, obviously."

Tifa glared at Reeve, "One day he will be."

"And in the meantime, you're wasting away at this bar." Reeve's eyes softened, "It's not fair to anyone involved. Everything that has happened has stolen a piece of Cloud that he'll never get back. He may never be what you want... what you all need. Then what?"

Before Tifa could come up with an appropriate answer, the bar door opened with another tinkling of bells. There was no joy in it for Tifa this time. She and Reeve turned to see Marlene, Denzel and Shelke returning from the WRO. Marlene's face split into a wide smile, "Reeve! I didn't know you were coming over today!"

Denzel was smiling too, "I'm glad you're here. I was looking for you after classes were over, but no one knew where you went."

Reeve was all smiles for the children. He knelt down and let Marlene hug him, hugging her back with one arm while he turned his attention to Denzel, "My apologies. I needed to talk with Tifa and I thought I would catch her before she got busy here."

Denzel glanced between Tifa and Reeve quickly. Tifa hoped he could not see the discomfort on her face as she forced a smile, "Oh. That's cool, then. Whenever you get done, can I talk to you?"

Reeve looked up at Tifa, expression unreadable, "I think we're done already. I'll go up with you two to get your stuff settled and you can tell me what's on your mind."

"Alright." Denzel agreed. Reeve lifted Marlene into his arms and followed Denzel up the stairs to the room that they shared, "See, I was thinking... I know you usually have the be fourteen to get into the robotics program at the school, but I think I could be good at it now! I mean..."

Tifa stood silently watching Reeve with the kids. He seemed so comfortable with them and they seemed to enjoy his company... and why not? He had always been friendly enough before today. She had never imagined him with kids before, but the school had been his baby. He would spend a lot of time now around children.

"Reeve Tuesti cares for you."

Shelke's voice made her jump. She clutched a hand to her chest and tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. She had forgotten that the young woman was still in the room, "What?"

"I first noticed it a few weeks ago. He has a picture on his desk of all of us. It was taken right after Vincent Valentine returned from Lucrecia Crecent's cave." Shelke's face was set in its usual blank frown, "I found him looking at it and I could tell from the movement of his eyes that he was focused on you. I found it strange, considering your arrangement with Cloud Strife."

"Yep. Everyone's full of surprises lately." Tifa muttered, throwing the cracked glass into the trash.

"When he left again, Marlene and Denzel did not take it well." Shelke said, blandly, "They hid it from you. They did not want you to be upset. Reeve helped them."

Tifa studied the girl. She was not usually so open with her thoughts and observations about personal things, "You think I should... what? Go out with Reeve?"

Shelke waved Tifa's words away, "Irrelevant. My opinion carries no weight as your decision does not effect anything in my life."

"It carries as much weight as I decide to give it." Tifa countered, a small smile creeping onto her face, "That's why a person asks an opinion. Sure I might ignore it if it's not what I want to hear, but I might just take it seriously. You're pretty observant."

Shelke looked startled, or at least as startled as she ever looked, "You value my opinion on something I know nothing about?"

"People are wacky that way." Tifa said, chuckling, "They don't always do the logical thing."

Nodding, Shelke came to sit beside the bar, "Then... perhaps you have your answer. Observations, logic, these are things that seem to serve no purpose in matters of the heart. Disregard what your brain is telling you and follow your emotions."

"Listen to my heart, huh?"

Shelke wrinkled her nose as if she smelled something unpleasant, "It seems to be the way of people here lately. Just look at Vincent Valentine."

Tifa tried not to laugh and failed. She set a glass of juice before Shelke, "Not a fan of Yuffie?"

"Lucrecia's memory fragments cause my emotions to be skewed." Shelke smiled briefly, "She despises the girl. I cannot say she is my favorite person when I can disregard Lucretia's memories. Neither of us can understand what he sees in her."

"It doesn't have to make sense to anyone but him, I guess." Tifa said, remembering when he had said something similar before going after Yuffie.

Shelke shook her head and sipped her drink. They settled into a comfortable silence as Tifa waited for Reeve to reemerge from the kids' room. Even just a year before, Tifa would have rejected any thoughts of someone else. She had been convinced that Cloud was the love she had always hoped for. She was still fairly certain of that, but the waiting was beginning to wear on her. She really did want to be happy. She just could not imagine being happy without him.

Reeve's footsteps pounded heavily down the stairs. His cell phone was clutched to his ears and his eyes looked wide and panicked. Tifa felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. They had joked too casually about the state of the world. Now, something terrible was happening.

"You found a what!?"

Tifa's mind immediately dropped into crisis mode. She imagined a horrible Jenova creature spawning from the exposed Lifestream near Mideel. The thought made her shudder. She immediately began cataloging the location of her and Cloud's best gear. It would take hours for Cid to ready the Shera, but maybe Rufas would loan them Reno to pilot a helicopter...

"Well, of course I'm not surprised, Yuffie. I sent you there to discover the hiding Deepground Soldiers. Vincent made it sound as though you had made no progress when we spoke earlier." Reeve's eyes flickered to Tifa's, "I recalled plans for a secret reactor to be built near Mideel. Supposedly, it was never constructed, but a number of other things never happened and we clean them up every day. I would hated to ignore my hunch only to find that Deepground had discovered it and re-purposed it for nefarious deeds."

Tifa now realized she could hear Yuffie's disgruntled voice coming from Reeve's phone, "Of course. An extraction team will be dispatched immediately for your location. Meet them at the drop off point in two hours. Reeve out."

He closed his phone and swore a blue streak that would have impressed Cid. Tifa blinked a few times in surprise, "They found someone?"

"Yuffie bagged a Deepground Soldier." Reeve replied while tapping out a message on his phone, "They're bringing him back for interrogation. Thank goodness for this prank in the name of love. I guess it's time to go to work."

He reached into his pocket for some gil and set it on the counter to pay for the drink. Before Tifa could protest, he was through the door. She glanced at the coins and realized it was far too much for the one drink he had finished. The frustration of the afternoon got the better of her and Tifa scooped the coins up and hurled them at the far wall. Most of them stuck, embedded deep in the wood and stone.

"That was definitely illogical." Shelke murmured as she slipped from the room.

Tifa covered her face with her hands and groaned. Why did things always have to be so complicated?

* * *

><p>If you're still here, thank you! When I tried to continue this story, I had a lot of different ideas. I enjoy Reeve's character and I feel that he doesn't get enough love. I liked the concept of Tifa considering herself taken without any official commitment and then someone coming along to rattle her cage a bit. When I started the second, third and fourth parts of this story, Reeve stepped into that place with ease and a touch of humor.<p>

I don't often write Cloud or Tifa because I have a hard time understanding them. I find it much easier to slip into Yuffie or Aeris's shoes. I think it'll be a good writing stretch for me to be in the headspace of some characters I'm less familiar with. Going forward, I guess you can consider the secondary pairing a Cloud/Tifa/Reeve triangle. I haven't made any decisions about how this will end yet. Once Cloud gets back from his latest delivery, we'll see what he has to say about the state of things.


	4. Chapter 4

Tifa flinched involuntarily when the bell above the door jingled. She had no reason to suspect that it was Reeve returning. It had been nearly twenty-four hours since he had left to meet up with Yuffie and Vincent and she had not heard a word from any of them. Still, she was jittery and could not help it. Her nerves still felt exposed and raw after their strange confrontation and she was not sure she could handle another encounter with him so soon. Tifa drew in a deep breath to steady herself and turned toward the door, ready to be pleasant no matter who it was. When her eyes landed on Vincent, the calm she had gathered quickly deserted her and she dropped the mugs she had been holding.

A number of observations struck Tifa all at once. Vincent was not wearing his cloak. He still wore the black pants and shirt that she had often seen beneath it. He had not removed his gauntlet or changed his boots, but everything looked different without the heavy, red material covering it. She took a moment to admire how attractive his face was before she noticed his hair.

The long, black hair had been cut short, barely brushing his shoulders with some shorter strands neatly framing his face. It reminded her of a picture Reeve had unearthed of Vincent in his Turk days, but a little longer. He no longer needed a headband to keep it out of his eyes.

Then she realized he was angry... really angry. Tifa swallowed hard as he stalked up to the bar. If he was angry, that meant...

"Damn." Tifa turned and grabbed the broom from the corner and started to sweep up the broken glass.

"You had no right to tell Reeve what I told you." Vincent said, voice low and dangerous.

Once upon a time, Vincent had frightened Tifa. She had rarely talked to him and when she had to, she refused to do it alone. She had privately begged Cloud to never group them together. Something about his silence put her on edge. As Cid and Yuffie warmed up to him, she found it easier to talk to him until she eventually came to see him as a friend. Had he ever glared at her then like he was now, she would have run screaming from the room. The thought made her smile. She quickly banished it, glad she had been turned away from him dumping glass in the garbage can. It would have only upset him more.

When she was composed again, she turned back to him with a sigh, "Did you even TRY to tell her?"

"That is beside the point." Vincent replied coolly.

"So, no then." Tifa smiled up at him, "I like the haircut."

Vincent's shoulders sagged and the fight went out of him, "I'd like a drink, please."

"Since I'm such a meddler, it's on the house." Tifa started mixing a drink for him, "I WAS trying to help."

Vincent smiled slightly and Tifa was struck by how strange it looked on him. She quickly decided she liked it, "The situation is more complex than that."

He took the glass from her with a nod of thanks and retreated to his usual table. Before she could ask him about the mission or Yuffie, the front door opened and Cloud came in. He juggled three large bottles as he tried to shut the door with his foot. Tifa rushed around the bar and took two of the bottles from him, "Welcome home!"

Cloud smiled, "Thanks, Tifa. Sorry about the quiet exit the other night. I didn't want to wake anyone when I got the call."

Tifa shrugged and set the bottles up on the racks behind the bar, trying to pretend it had not bothered her, "Don't worry about it."

Setting the last bottle on the bar, Cloud turned back toward the door and shut it. He spotted Vincent and Tifa laughed at his expression of shock. Cloud blinked rapidly, setting his features into a less surprised expression, "Hey Vincent."

"Cloud."

Cloud scratched the back of his neck, "I hardly recognized you! You look good."

A look passed between them that Tifa did not understand. She watched as Cloud sat down across from him and they settled into a conversation that was just a little too quiet for her to hear. Curiosity was killing her, but she did not want to eavesdrop. She poured Cloud a mug of his favorite beer and brought it to him, hoping to figure out what they were talking about, but she could not make sense of what they were saying in what little she heard.

After a few minutes of trying to figure out how to read lips, Tifa heard a horn honk behind the bar. She glanced back over at Cloud and Vincent. Vincent was still sipping his drink, but Cloud's mug was empty. She caught his eye, "Do you mind? Vincent's still working on his drink and I don't want it to get watered down while we haul boxes in..."

"I refuse to help you, anyway."

His voice was deadly serious and his expression betrayed no amusement, but Tifa knew he was teasing her. She felt a silly pride in knowing that he would joke with her now. Even Cloud shot him an amused look as he climbed to his feet.

Before Tifa could respond, the door to the kitchen banged open, "That's a shame... all those studly, rippling muscles going to waste..."

Both Tifa and Cloud stared in open-mouthed shock at Yuffie as she carried in a box of supplies. Vincent's cloak was wrapped around her shoulders, but it had been dramatically shortened until it fell just below her knees. In many ways, that was more shocking than Vincent's sudden changes in appearance.

"You have never seen my muscles." Vincent replied blandly, shifting over as Yuffie came to perch on the edge of his table, "They may be neither "studly' nor 'rippling.'"

"Come on, Tifa, those supplies are waiting." Cloud wrapped a hand around her arm and pulled her into the kitchen.

Tifa signed for the delivery and she and Cloud made quick work of carrying the boxes into the kitchen. She set the last box down with more force than she intended to, rattling the glasses inside. Cloud looked at her, eyebrow arched in an unspoken question.

"Vincent's a big, fat liar." Tifa hissed, opening the box of glasses, "They were awfully cozy for Yuffie to not know what's going on! She's wearing his cloak for crying out loud!"

Cloud frowned, eyeing Tifa suspiciously, "What IS going on?"

"It's complicated." Tifa muttered, turning away so she did not have to meet his eyes, "Reeve and I tried to set up Yuffie and Vincent."

Cloud's eyes widened in surprise, "Reeve?"

"I called him and asked him to put them on a mission together." Tifa admitted, putting glasses up on to a nearby shelf, "Vincent may have mentioned having feelings for Yuffie and I thought that some time together might do them some good. Reeve agreed... we only wanted to see them happy."

"Tifa, you shouldn't meddle." Cloud replied, his voice disapproving, "We've all got to find our own happiness. You can't force it on other people."

That was something she knew all too well. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him so. When they had first built the bar in Edge, Tifa knew Cloud was still pining after Aeris. Her death had shattered him and it was not until after Sephiroth was defeated that he was able to start picking up the pieces. Tifa knew that the guilt over Aeris's death weighed heavily on him. He often spoke of looking for her, as if she were missing instead of dead. Through it all, Tifa had tried to be there for him. She gave him a room and fed him when he stayed there. She let him know in lots of little ways that she loved him and would wait for him through the grief.

When Barrett asked her to look after Marlene while he figured himself out, she had been glad of it. The little girl provided her a much needed distraction. Cloud had come around more, too. For a time, Tifa thought that things would finally work themselves out. Then one day, she saw Cloud tie a pink ribbon in Marlene's hair and listened to them talk about the Flower Lady who had saved her life.

Denzel had come shortly after that. When Cloud realized the extent of the boy's Geostigma, he threw himself into a search for the cure. It was not long until he developed the illness himself. He had hidden it well, Tifa had not even known he was ill until she and Marlene found his hideout in Aeris's church. After that, things quickly spun out of control. With Marlene and Denzel missing, Cloud acting strangely and the remnants attacking people, Tifa had felt adrift and lonely. When the Turks brought Cloud back to Seventh Heaven, she had finally thrown down the gauntlet. She had demanded that he make a choice between the memory of Aeris and her and the present. She missed Aeris too, but she was determined to continue living her life and she wanted to do it with him.

Eventually they overcame it with the help of all their friends, defeating the remnants and banishing Sephiroth back to the Lifestream. For a time, things seemed to improve. Cloud spent more time at home and with their friends. He helped the kids with school work. He even helped out around the bar. After a few months, he started to wander again. Tifa was afraid to say anything to him, not wanting to run him off. Still, with each passing day, the urge to corner him again and ask for a decision grew.

She watched him as he put food in the appropriate places and wondered what he would say if she pressed her feelings. For every time she caught him staring at a picture of Aeris or touching the ribbon he wore in remembrance of her, Tifa could think of another time when he said something to her or looked at her in a way that clearly showed he felt something for her, as well. She wanted to wait, but it was getting harder and harder.

The kitchen door swung open and Yuffie walked in, a broad grin on her face. She helped Tifa and Cloud finish putting away the supplies and then slipped her arm through Tifa's. Tifa chuckled at the devious look on Yuffie's face, "What's up?"

Yuffie glanced over her shoulder at Cloud and hauled Tifa closer to the door, "Bossman says he stopped by here right before we called for extraction."

Tifa swallowed hard, trying not to blush, "Oh?"

"I knew it!" Yuffie said with a triumphant laugh, "You two DID set us up!"

Tifa panicked. If Vincent had not talked to Yuffie, she did not want to be the one to spill the bean, "I can explain."

"No need." Yuffie assured her, letting go of Tifa's arm, "I told Vincent you two were scheming. Next time, don't meddle! Vincent and I weren't REALLY mad at each other. We screw around like that, sometimes. In truth, it was good that we were there, but I would have rather not had to spend three days in Mideel. Vincent and I are the best of buddies, promise."

Tifa let out a sigh of relief. Yuffie misunderstood the purpose of her meddling. Tifa used the girl's confusion to hastily create an explanation, "That's good. You just seemed so angry that I wanted to help. I only asked Reeve to put the two of you on a mission together. I didn't expect it to take so long or be so important."

"Like I said, it was good we were there. I've actually got to take Vincent and go meet with Reeve to get debriefed..." Yuffie wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, "...and then we're gonna talk about the mission, too."

Tifa laughed and followed Yuffie into the bar, "Maybe you'll get to see Vincent's studly muscles."

"I heard that." Vincent said, tone flat as he stood up, "The two of you are disturbing me with your obsession over my unclothed body."

Yuffie only giggled and wrapped her arm around Vincent's so she could haul him from the bar. She waved and the two disappeared through the door. Tifa still hoped that things would work out between the two of them, but decided not to put herself in the middle of it again.

When she turned back around, she saw Cloud examining the coins embedded in the wall. He looked over at Tifa in confusion, "What happened here?"

Tifa felt herself blush and just shook her head, "I got a little irrational yesterday. I think they're kind of a funny decoration, actually."

Cloud shrugged and climbed up the stairs. Tifa stared at the coins and wondered what she should do.

* * *

><p>AN: Not much to be said. I'm starting to figure out a shape for the story. The next part is already underway. Thank you to everyone who has read this story and to all of you who are continuing it. I feel like I'm really starting to hit my stride with writing again. It's a great feeling.

Since I forgot to mention it last time, I've started a LJ that will include all new chapters/stories I post here as well as some random bits that don't seem like they'll manage well as a story of their own. Feel free to drop by! .com


	5. Chapter 5

"Start at the beginning." Tifa murmured, a gentle hand on Yuffie's slumped shoulders, "It can't be that bad."

Yuffie laughed sharply, a harsh sound, "You're so wrong... but it's not my fault. It's so Vincent's fault!"

Yuffie firmly believed that. The idle daydreams of a sixteen year old aside, Yuffie had never really considered Vincent for a romantic interest. It was plain that his feelings and grief over Lucrecia weighed heavily on his mind. Despite the lovely offering of female flesh in their group, she had never even seen Vincent look twice. It was easy for Yuffie to see he was not interested, and she had better things to do than chase men who were not interested in her.

Then, one day, she noticed changes in him. At first, they were subtle. He spoke with her more often and at times when it was not required. It took time, but he began making subtle jokes at her expense. They became comfortable with one another. He smiled sometimes, just a crinkling around the eyes, but she knew what it meant. To her, it meant the world. The return of her girlhood attraction was inevitable, especially after he appeared like a dark god to rescue her from Nero. When she told Tifa that she did not like Vincent, it was a big fat lie. She was attempting to protect her pride. Yuffie was certain that Vincent would never really give her the time of day.

The last day of their mission in Mideel changed things. When he told her that he could not imagine a world without her, the spark of hope flickered in her chest. When she jumped on top of him to keep him from being shot and his eyes nearly crossed, she dared to imagine that he found her attractive. If she had not chased down the Deepground Soldier, she was sure she could have kissed him without losing a limb for it. It was when he told her that she could keep the cloak that she really knew something was different between them.

They had talked about his cloak one night while they shared watch during the first world crisis. Vincent was rarely bothered by the cold and the color of the cloak did little to provide him camouflage. The fabric was cumbersome and caught on every plant they passed by, tearing it to shreds. She asked him why he had not changed it out for more practical clothing. All he would say was that it was a symbol. Yuffie being Yuffie, knowing how to fill in the blanks of his statements, came to the conclusion that he wore it as a reminder of his past.

It was one of the few things that Yuffie had never been able to understand about Vincent. When she made a mistake, no matter how big, she tried to do something that evened the scales. She had stolen Avalanche's materia and led them on a wild chase through her homeland, but when she realized her error she stayed with them and fought harder than anyone to fulfill their goals. In her mind, the debt was repaid and the only backlash was the occasional, and completely deserved, jokes about her sticky fingers. Vincent could not stop Lucrecia and Hojo from creating Sephiroth, but when push came to shove he helped kill both Hojo and Sephiroth to keep them from doing more damage. In his mind, though, it did not begin to make a difference.

Not that sleeping in a coffin seemed like it would help anything, but Yuffie had long since stopped having that argument with Vincent. Once he had gotten that apartment in Kalm, it became a non-issue.

Vincent handing the cloak to her in Mideel had been a huge moment for her. He had always worn it. She could remember him sleeping in it during their travels. She knew he could have easily carried the Soldier without taking it off. Vincent was trying to make a point. Yuffie knew she never knew when to leave well enough alone. She always tried to push boundaries to see what their true limits were. The cloak was huge and heavy, she could feel the material dragging around her feet. Vincent did not seem impressed by her imitation of him at first, but he did not immediately demand the cloak back.

Yuffie's heart fluttered when he finally chuckled at her antics. He only nodded that she should continue down the path. She marched down the path proudly, holding the cloak up like a ball gown. When they reached the pick up site, she slipped it off and held it to him. He only rested a hand on it for a moment before saying, "It looked better on you."

"Are you kidding?" Yuffie asked, looking at the bundle of fabric, "It's huge on me! I'm way too short to wear it."

"Shorten it."

Yuffie had only been able to make inarticulate choking noises for a moment. Vincent expression remained blank and finally he turned to tend to their captive. They had time until the transport arrived, so Yuffie sat down and began cutting the fabric with the edge of her shuriken. She would have bet materia that he was going to stop her at the first sound of tearing fabric. Vincent did not so much as twitch a muscle to stop her.

She had enjoyed the expressions of everyone who saw her wearing it. She thought Tifa's eyes were going to roll out of her head. Yuffie tried to be kind though, not everyone had her poker face. When she spotted Vincent in Tifa's bar, she had been glad she could hide her emotions. She had wanted to stare and maybe drool a little. In an attempt to play it cool, she had made a comment about his body that she played off like a joke. What a body, though! Yuffie had not imagined that he would be so well formed when she dove at him to protect him. Yuffie had been able to feel well defined muscles as she lay pressed up against him.

Of course, that line of thinking was what got her into trouble in the first place. The look in Vincent's eyes when she teased him about his body suggested that he knew what she was really thinking. Since it was not then followed with a look of horror, Yuffie took it as a good sign. During their meeting with Reeve, Yuffie had a hard time keeping her mind on task. She did not do well with uncertainty. Now that she suspected that Vincent might have feelings for her, she wanted to move things along. She was also dying to know if the rest of him was as attractive as his face.

When Reeve called the meeting and Vincent mentioned going to his apartment to catch up on lost sleep, Yuffie decided to use some of her ninja skills to find out about one of the two. She doubted he slept fully clothed in the safety of his own place. Just a little peek and she would have the upper hand on him the next time she teased him about his looks. If she could put him a little off balance, she might be able to find an opening into his feelings. It was the perfect plan... of course it was her plan so she should have known that it was inherently flawed.

She gave him some time to get back to his place and get settled and then she quickly scaled the wall of his apartment building. There was a window at the end of the hallway that she climbed through with ease. The lock on his door was practically useless and she popped it open with little effort. It was not until she opened the door to his bedroom that she realized she had miscalculated. The bedroom was empty.

Behind her, the bathroom door opened, revealing Vincent in nothing but a towel.

Yuffie stared in wide-eyed surprise. She had not been wrong. Vincent's body was lean and well-muscled. A number of thin, white scars covered his pale skin, but Yuffie hardly noticed them. There was one large, barely scarred wound in the center of his chest where the protomateria had been removed and another large, much older scar from where he had been shot. Yuffie barely spared those a second glance. Warriors had scars, after all.

Vincent blinked rapidly, looking more surprised than she had ever seen him look, "Yuffie? What -"

"Hey- uh- Vince!" Yuffie scrambled quickly to her feet, "I was just- uh- that is I- ehehehe..."

Vincent shifted uncomfortably, his face unreadable, "Yuffie..."

"I wanted to see if you were studly!" She blurted out.

As soon as the words left her mouth, she was horrified. Vincent's mouth opened and closed a few times. His expression was strange and Yuffie did not see any hint of his being pleased by her attention or words. She had been wrong and Vincent was trying to figure out how to let her down.

Before Vincent could say anything, Yuffie ran out of the door and jumped back through the window. She did not know where else to go, so she ran straight for Seventh Heaven. The bar was starting to pick up, so Yuffie charged into the kitchen to wait for the support of her best girlfriend. Tifa let her lay over the kitchen counter, miserable, and tried her best to offer encouragement.

Of course, Yuffie knew she could not tell Tifa the whole long story. She sighed and gave the short version, "I guess it doesn't matter. I miscalculated and made a huge ass of myself in front of Vincent."

"Really, Yuffie-"

"I tried to sneak a peek at him while he was sleeping and caught him getting out of the shower." Yuffie said, cutting off Tifa's well meant platitude, "Saw him in nothing but a towel."

Tifa shook her head, trying to hide a smile, "I'm sure you can come up with a reasonable explanation for being there."

"I told him I wanted to see if he was studly."

Tifa could only cover her face with her hand, "Oh Yuffie..."

"I know!" Yuffie cried, "I know. I blurted out the first stupid thing my stupid brain came up with. I really thought there was something between us. I was getting all the right vibes from him, you know? The way he just looked at me though-"

"You did see him in nothing but a towel." Tifa argued, ever the voice of reason.

Yuffie could not help the devious smile on her face, "Yeah I did."

Tifa looked a little shocked, "Yuffie!"

Behind Yuffie, the kitchen door swung open. Vincent stepped into the room, "Tifa, there are several customers waiting at the bar and Cloud seems to be having difficulty keeping up with their orders."

Tifa hesitated, looking between Yuffie and Vincent. Vincent gave her a small smile and Tifa relaxed. With a final pat on Yuffie's shoulder, she retreated and left them alone.

Yuffie refused to look up. She could not bear to watch has he broke her heart. She had been stupid enough to hope for a future for them, but she planned to come through the whole thing with some dignity in tact. She could hear him move toward her and take a seat beside her at the island. They sat in silence for several minutes. Usually she was only too glad to fill the void with her own voice, but this time she was determined to make him make the first move.

He did not disappoint, "Yuffie, we should talk."

Yuffie turned her face away from her arms, but still could not meet his eyes, "So talk."

Vincent sighed and was quiet again for a moment. Then he said, "Why were you in my apartment?"

Yuffie's stomach sank. Like she often did in situations where she was at a disadvantage, she lied, "I was going to set up a prank. I thought you were sleeping."

She knew without really looking at him that Vincent was frowning at her. He always seemed to be the only one who could usually catch her in a lie. Finally, he said, "Why say what you did?"

"Blind stinking panic." Yuffie replied tartly, "I got caught and blurted out something that would distract you so I could get away."

Yuffie heard him shift uncomfortably beside her. She knew this conversation could not be easy for him. He was not terribly confrontational. She heard him sigh and he moved so that she could not avoid his gaze, "There was a time I would have allowed you that lie. I would say we are past such days, wouldn't you agree?"

Reluctantly, Yuffie nodded and realized she was being childish. She knew Vincent was right, regardless of how much she wished he was not. They needed to get everything out in the open. It was what she had wanted only a few hours before. Only her pride kept her from telling him everything about her feelings. Instead, she searched for the words to say what she needed to say.

For once, Vincent did not seem to have any such issue, "It has been a number of years since I have been in a situation like this."

Yuffie nodded and braced herself for his gentle let down.

"Truthfully, the last time I was in this situation, it ended badly." Vincent smiled wryly, "Of course, you're not Lucrecia."

"No." Yuffie agreed, gritting her teeth against the flash of anger that comparison evoked, "I'm not."

She was better than Lucrecia in every way. She was Yuffie Kisaragi, the single white rose of Wutai. One day, she would be the Empress under the Law of Leviathan. She had saved the world on numerous occasions before she was twenty. She was an impressive fighter and damn fine to look at. If that was not good enough for Vincent "atone for my sins" Valentine, then he did not deserve her.

"That is why I believe this could work out."

Yuffie stared at him, blinking. She could see he was surprised by her reaction, "That was why you came to my apartment today, was it not? You have certain feelings for me, and you wished to see where I stood?"

"I- well- something like that." Yuffie murmured, "I wasn't sure exactly what would happen, but I wasn't expecting you to just come out in a towel!"

Vincent cleared his throat and looked away in embarrassment, "Yes, well-"

"Wait... you like me?" Yuffie's brain had finally caught up with the rest of the conversation, "Like me, like me?"

Vincent only nodded, watching her expression guardedly.

Yuffie frowned, "For how long?"

"Some time now." Vincent replied, looking decidedly uncomfortable under her scrutiny. To his credit, he kept his eyes on hers.

Yuffie made a noise of acceptance and tried to make sense of it all. This was not what she had been expecting. It was too easy! Part of her wondered if this was his revenge on her for getting a peek at his less than clothed body. As a test, she leaned forward and closed the space between them until she could press her lips to his. He went tense under her hands, but did not pull away. Her fingers reached up slid around his neck. Her lips were soft and warm against his. It seemed to take him a moment to catch up with her, but once he did he responded in kind. He stood, pulling her up with him and crushing her body tightly against his. He let his ungauntleted hand wrap itself in her short hair and pulled her back into his kiss.

The door to the kitchen banged against the wall and Tifa inhaled sharply. She carefully set the plates she was carrying in the sink before they fell from her hands.

Yuffie turned, grinning from the circle of Vincent's arms, not the least bit embarrassed about being caught, "Tifa! Vincent likes me! Can you believe it?"

Tifa looked at Yuffie's exultant face and the slight flush in Vincent's cheeks before bursting into full-throated laughter. She did not say a word and walked back into the bar.

"Not the reaction I expected." Yuffie murmured, glancing at Vincent, "What do you think that was about?"

Vincent shifted uncomfortably, "I may have... well... mentioned-"

"You told Tifa you liked me before you told me?"

A tiny fist walloped him on top of the shoulder. Yuffie knew she looked delicate, but her strikes hurt all the same. She could not believe that Vincent would tell someone else about his feelings before he told her. Then, Yuffie realized that her best friend had known and had never said a thing. In Yuffie's mind, that was a far greater crime. She untangled herself from Vincent's arms and cried, "Tifa!? You knew he liked me and you never TOLD me!? You're a DEAD woman if I catch you!"

* * *

><p>AN: I tried to go for a slower approach to the big reveal, but Yuffie wasn't having it. Nothing worked right until I let her go spy on Vincent... so I let her go spy on Vincent. Of course, things are not going to be sunshine and roses for them all the time. Hope you enjoyed!


	6. Chapter 6

DYWTTAI - 6

Despite having to outrun an irate ninja, Tifa could not have been happier for her friends. It had only taken a few small bruises to get back into Yuffie's good graces, and really she deserved far worse for meddling in her love life. Still, it was more than sentimentality that made her give Vincent a little push. She honestly believed the two of them deserved any happiness they managed to scrape together.

Things changed, and then again they did not. Vincent had never been an emotional man by any standards, so he did not openly share his affection for Yuffie often. The people who knew him best could see his feelings in the softness in his eyes when he looked at her.

Yuffie, on the other hand, had started off with calling him by obnoxious pet names. Each name was worse and worse. Vincent only smiled at her antics and the sparkle quickly wore off. Still, it was plain to see that Yuffie cared for him, too.

They still spent some of their days in Tifa's bar, but now from time to time she caught them with hands intertwined.

Then one night, a few weeks later, just before she locked the door, Yuffie came into the bar like a storm cloud. She did not bother stopping in the empty room and went straight for the kitchen. Tifa locked the door and followed her into the kitchen. She found the girl raiding the refrigerator for chocolate she knew was kept in the back. These were both very bad signs. Turning around and grabbing a bottle of Yuffie's favorite fruity shot mix and some glasses, Tifa braved the kitchen.

"You know, for someone who is supposed to be so mature, Vincent's an idiot." Yuffie shoved a piece of chocolate into her mouth and slammed the door shut, "Seweoswee."

"Put the kids' chocolate back and come have some of this instead." Tifa said, setting the glasses down and pouring a shot for each of them, "Cloud took Denzel on a delivery since Marlene and Shelke are visiting Barret in Corel. We've got the place to ourselves."

Yuffie put the chocolate on the counter and quickly downed the drink. Tifa lifted her glass into the air teasingly before swallowing her own down as well. Yuffie threw herself onto a stool across from Tifa, scowling darkly. Tifa was almost afraid to ask what had happened.

"I'm telling you, Tifa, men are stupid." Yuffie's head slumped onto her folded arms, "Vincent's an ass, Cloud leaves you here all the time, Reeve's been acting super weird at work... don't even get me started on Cid or Barret! Why do we put up with them!?"

"Because neither of us is overly interested in the alternatives."

"At this point, I think I'm starting to consider Nanaki." Yuffie grumbled, "He's cuddly and a gentleman."

Tifa poured them each another drink, trying not to laugh, "Drink and then tell me what's going on."

Yuffie scooped up the glass and toasted Tifa, "To us! And to heck with them."

A second shot was consumed by both women and Tifa leaned back to enjoy the warmth burning through her veins. She did not often drink, despite owning her own bar, because she had too many responsibilities to risk alcohol impairing her judgment. Still, it was nice to indulge sometimes.

"Obviously, Vincent and I had a fight tonight." Yuffie said, "It's been a few days coming, but it was still awful."

"What happened?"

"He's got these weird hang-ups about me staying at his place." Yuffie toyed with the empty glass, "I mean, yeah, okay, so it's a little soon to want to stay with him, but I'm not suggesting we live together or anything. Sometimes we're having a nice time and I don't feel like taking the walk back to the WRO building. I'm perfectly happy to crash on the couch... except I can't do that! Oh no, tall man will sleep on the itty bitty couch while I stretch out in his comfy bed."

Tifa tried not to smile, "He was just being a gentleman, Yuffie."

"I get that. It's nice, but at some point, he should get over it and be practical. I'd be more comfortable on the couch than he would." Yuffie pouted, "He's got to be a gentleman when it makes no sense. After some of the places I've stayed in, his cushy couch is a palace."

"Still-"

Yuffie continued on as if she had not heard Tifa, "It's the principal of the thing! My opinion matters! If I say I want to sleep on the couch, he should let me do it!"

Tifa held her hands up in surrender, "Alright! Alright! I can see where that would bother you... independent as you are. So what else?"

"He rearranges things, like obsessively."

Shaking her head, Tifa poured them another drink.

"Seriously! He's like a crazy person." Yuffie protested. They both drank back their shots, "I did the dishes as a thank you for dinner one night and he waited until I went to bed and then moved all the dishes around. It was, like, the middle of the night! It seems like any time I touch something he eventually moves it back to the way it was."

"I don't know if I believe that." Tifa giggled, "You're making it up!"

Yuffie looked at her intently, slamming her glass down for emphasis, "I tested it! I purposely moved some books around on a shelf. I picked one up, looked at the title, and then put it back down in a different place in line! I went to the bathroom and when I got back, the books were in the right order again."

"I don't know which of you is crazier," Tifa said, "you for noticing it or him for fixing it when you're not looking. So what else?"

Yuffie lay her head on her arms, staring blankly at the refrigerator, "I dunno. I just thought that when we finally got together that things would be different. Sometimes he looks at me and I get the feeling he sees a grubby little sixteen year old with sticky fingers. I keep expecting him to pat me on the head and tell me to go home to my daddy."

"It can't be that bad, Yuffie." Tifa said, running a hand over the girl's hair.

"It's not bad exactly. I just thought this would all be much easier than it turned out to be." Yuffie whined, "I mean, it seemed simple. Girl meets boy who is asleep in a coffin. Boy helps girl save the world again, and again, and again... and again..."

Yuffie's gaze went a little unfocused as she trailed off mid-thought. Tifa bit back a giggle, trying not to embarrass her friend. The small squeak that escaped her was enough to bring Yuffie back around. She sat up again, "Girl saves boy's life, boy saves girl's life... they fall in love and live happily ever after. Nowhere does any story EVER say that boy and girl fight over stupid things!"

"There could be hot, make-up sex." Tifa suggested helpfully.

Yuffie only snorted, "As if. After that first kiss here at the bar, he's been weird about kissing me. After a couple of minutes, he gets all uncomfortable and, like, sets me aside. I think if I got naked, he'd have a heart attack."

Tifa nearly choked on the shot she had been trying to take. She swallowed quickly and gasped as the alcohol burned unpleasantly in her throat. Yuffie giggled drunkenly, "Sorry Tifa. I didn't mean to make you gag on it."

"No." Tifa leaned her head against her hands and coughed a bit, "That's what I get for being nosey. You guys are usually so comfy... I was just curious."

Yuffie grinned at her, "Speaking of being nosey, what's going on with you and Reeve?"

Tifa sat up quickly, wincing as the room swam a bit in front of her vision, "Nothing!"

"Uh huh." Yuffie said, with obvious disbelief, "I tried to talk him in to coming here after work last Friday and he got all awkward and made up an excuse about working late. Only one thing would be making him awkward in this bar."

"His undying love for Cloud?" Tifa suggested.

Yuffie laughed and clenched her eyes shut, "Ugh! That was not something I needed to imagine in my drunk brain."

"I don't know..." Tifa murmured, grinning wickedly, "They're both pretty attractive and there could be oil of some kind..."

Yuffie paused for a moment, letting herself imagine it. Finally, she shook her head, "Nope. Reeve's too old for that to be hot."

Tifa wrinkled her nose, "He's not that old-"

"Ah ha!" Yuffie crowed, triumphantly, "Something is going on! I knew it! You think Reeve's as attractive as Cloud and that he's not too old. Spill!"

Tifa poured another shot and drank it down, "He might have made a pass at me."

Yuffie squealed in delight, "Lucky! Reeve's a fox."

"What happened to 'too old to be hot'?" Tifa replied tartly.

"Pul-ease. Vincent's the oldest guy in the group and I'm all over that. I was lying to get you to fess up." Yuffie grinned eagerly, "So?"

"So what? I shot him down." Tifa toyed with her shot glass, "I'm with Cloud."

Yuffie peered at her, expression serious, "Are you really?"

Tifa rolled her eyes and sullenly muttered, "Not you too."

"Far be it for me to judge, but what kind of relationship is this? Does he introduce you as his girlfriend? Does he kiss you? I don't think I've ever seen him touch you. Would he be pissed if you went out with Reeve?"

"I don't know." Tifa admitted, "We never said we were... well anything, but I love him."

Yuffie patted her hands clumsily, "I'm sure he loves you too. Maybe he just needs to see it. Go out to dinner with Reeve. If you like it, awesome. If not, no real harm done... and Cloud decides if he's in or not. Either way, you're the winner."

Tifa felt tears well up in her eyes and did her best to blink them away. The alcohol was making it difficult to keep her emotions in check. She saw the guilt taking over Yuffie's expression and waved her hand dismissively, "I'm alright. It's just hard to know that no one has any faith in me or Cloud. I just... I guess I thought things would all just fall into place between us."

"I still think they will." Yuffie assured her, "Cloud just isn't the king of... obvious things... I dunno... brain's fuzzy. Either way, he could use a good kick in the right direction. Ask Cloud to watch the bar and the kids, get all prettied up and wiggle them curves out of here on Reeve's arm. I bet Cloud goes nutty with jealousy!"

"I don't know..." Tifa played with her shot glass, "Reeve's my friend. I don't want to use him to make Cloud jealous."

"So go into it with an open mind! Maybe you'll like Reeve better." Yuffie shook her head, laughing, "It's not like he's asking you to marry him. If you guys go out and you decide you like Cloud better, he won't be mad."

Yuffie's words pierced the alcohol fogging her brain. She seemed awfully familiar with something that only Tifa, Reeve and maybe Shelke should know about. She had not even been surprised when Tifa had revealed that Reeve had come on to her. Tifa's eyes narrowed on her friend's face. Yuffie had already known about the whole thing.

The ninja's eyes widened, "Uh... oops... consider it revenge?"

"You're here working as a double agent for Reeve!" Tifa cried, scowling.

That made Yuffie laugh again, "That's what I do for him. It doesn't make anything I just said less true. I wouldn't have helped him if I didn't think you'd have a good time."

"Alright." Tifa said, sighing in resignation as she flipped open her cell phone, "I'll give it a try."

"What? Seriously?" Yuffie frowned, "Wait... You're calling him now?"

"He's the one making up the rules of this little game..." Tifa selected his name from her address book and pressed the call button, "I'm just playing."

On the third ring Reeve picked up, voice scratchy with sleep, "Hmm... yes... Hello?"

Tifa grinned, "What are you doing Friday night?"

"Tifa?"

"Of course it's me." Tifa had to look away from Yuffie's maniacal grin to keep from laughing, "Who else would call you this late?"

Tifa could hear Reeve's bed creak as he shifted positions, "Well, Yuffie, usually. Still, this is a pleasant surprise. I can't say I'm doing anything on Friday night. Why do you ask?"

"I realize that I might have been too hard on you the other day." Tifa winced as the word realize slurred from her lips, "You... were just being nice. I shouldn't have gotten so offended."

There was a moment of quiet before Reeve asked, "Have you been drinking?"

Tifa shrugged, "Yes. Yuffie came by. We had a chat about things and had some drinks. That doesn't make this less true."

"Well, I certainly appreciate the apology." Tifa heard him stifle a yawn, "However, it's quite late. Would you mind if we continued this conversation tomorrow?"

"But... I-"

"Goodnight, Tifa."

Before she could say another word, Reeve disconnected the call. Tifa pulled the phone away and looked at the screen to be sure. Yuffie let out a wild laugh, clutching at the countertop to keep from falling out of her seat.

"That man is so..." Tifa let out an angry cry and tossed her phone back on the counter, "He sends you here to do his dirty work and then doesn't even have the decency to let me ask him out!"

"That's... Reeve for you." Yuffie said between giggles. She wiped tears from her eyes, "If it's any... consolation... that's usually how he ends my two a.m. calls."

Tifa climbed off the chair and waited until she felt steady on her feet, "Well, I'm going to bed. You're welcome to crash in Cloud's room, since he's not using it tonight."

Yuffie nodded and followed Tifa out of the kitchen. As they climbed the stairs, Tifa asked, "So are you and Vincent really fighting or was that a cover?"

"We're kind of fighting." Yuffie admitted, "A little. It'll be okay though. It's a little nice, actually... very normal couply stuff. I'm just taking a couple of days to blow off steam. That's the great thing about dating Vincent; he already knows what my temper's like so he's not mad that I'm off wandering. I don't want to have a big blow out fight because he won't let me sleep on the couch. That'd be stupid."


End file.
